Fragile
by SilverKanon
Summary: "How can it be that you can flirt with me even when you're a stone's throw from death?" "Because I love you." [Angel AU]


To anyone who's going to read this fic: I would recommend to listen to the following songs while reading: Kowareyasuki (Guilty Kiss), Un angelo disteso al sole (Eros Ramazzotti), Angel with a shotgun (The Cab), Precious (Depeche Mode), I Belong to You (Eros Ramazzotti feat. Anastacia).

Also, English is not my native language and this is my first fanfiction written in English, so there might be mistakes. Please, feel free to correct me if there are any and feel also free to leave a comment/review.

* * *

A familiar warmth makes You slowly open her eyes and, as her blurry vision becomes more clear, she is welcomed by red hair and a lovely pair of amber eyes. After she regains enough consciousness and her senses start working again, she realizes that she's resting between Riko's arms and that it's kinda dark around them: it looks like there are courtains enveloping them and she can't clearly understand where they are, but she doesn't care that much, as she's too focused on the person that is in front of her: indeed, the redhead is looking more beautiful and stunning than usual and You thinks that, maybe, she's on the way to paradise.

"Am I… dying?" she barely manages to ask, while extending her right arm towards Riko's face. It's a simple gesture, but it's taking her a lot of effort and making her feel a lot of pain, and Riko notices: she takes You's hand with hers and helps her placing it on her cheek.

"No, silly. I won't let you." Riko responds, with a trembling smile.

"Really? Because… I'm pretty sure… that there is… an angel… in front of me."

You says, trying to put on an ikemen voice, hoping to somehow remove the sorrowful expression that is painting Riko's face: the redhead's eyes, which could never lie to her, are indeed showing sadness, concern and a devouring sense of guilt. And You hates seeing her looking like that.

"How can it be that you can flirt with me even when you're a stone's throw from death?" Riko asks.

"Because I love you."

Such unexpected and direct words hit Riko's already weakened heart and the tears she has desperately tried to hold back start falling down her cheeks, along with the feelings that she has been bottling up for all that time.

"Why are you crying? Do you hate me that mu-ugh!" You doens't manage to finish her sentence, as a rough pain runs through her entire body, making her cough up blood, and her plan to make a joke fails.

"Ssshhh… Don't talk." says Riko, while placing her index finger on You's lips.

She genlty lays You on the near wall, careful to find the most comfortable position for her, and kisses her forehead.

"I'm sorry You-chan. This is entirely my fault."

She then stands up and the courtains that had been surrounding them finally open, revealing their true nature: a wonderful pair of angel wings, coming out from Riko's back.

She raises her head up and is surrounded by a golden light which makes her transform in the most beautiful creature You has ever seen in her whole life: Riko is an angel for real and is now standing in front of her, glorious, lustrous, divine.

"I promise I will fix everything and save you, no matter what." she says with a sad smile, before turning her back to You and looking up. Her teary eyes are now replaced by a strong and determined gaze: she's ready to fight her own mistakes and take her responsibilities in order to protect the ones she loves.

"Just wait for me, You chan." She takes flight and reaches the demonic creature that is floating in the black cloudy sky.

"Sorry for the wait, Yocchan. Let's end all this now." The demon lets out a terrifying and painful cry and the last thing You sees before loosing consciousness is the angel throwing herself towards it.

* * *

When You opens her eyes again, she finds her naked body floating in what seems to be a light blue sky with light pink fluffly clouds illuminated by a golden light. She is no longer sensing any pain and her heart feels light as a feather. Everything around is peaceful and her soul is filled only with sweet thoughts and memories.

"You-chan." She raises her head up, following the voice which with no doubts belongs to _her._ Indeed, there she is, Riko's bare figure descending on her like a goddes, a perfect painting framed by wonderful wings and surrounded by a light pink aura. You waits for her, mesmerized, until she has completely landed in front of her.

"Hi Riko-chan… Is this paradise?"

"Not really."

"Have I died?"

"I promised I wouldn't let you."

You grins.

"But this time you can't deny there's an angel in front of me."

Riko can't help but giggle at the statement.

"Yeah, you got me."

At this point, Riko is expecting You to ask further questions about what happened and her true nature, but, instead, the silver haired girl takes the angel off guard by cupping her right hand with hers and bringing it to her lips.

"You're so beautiful…" she proudly states, after kissing Riko's knuckles.

Her sapphire eyes are serious and intense, but sweet and tender at the same time and Riko's heart skips a beat.

"You too." she says, giving voice to her inner thoughts, only to blush and shily look down after You's soften smile makes her realize that she has actually spoken. But her eyes are soon back on You, as she feels the silver haired girl's lips on her hand again, kissing every inch of it many times. Riko lets her do and stares, enamoured, at You pecking her snow white skin, pleasantly shivering at every contact with her lips. After giving the last kiss, You frees Riko's hand and wraps her arms around Riko's waist, while the angel does the same around You's neck. As if moving in sync, they both rest their foreheads against each other's and close their eyes, only wanting their lungs to be filled by their beloved's scent and to sense the warmth of their bodies pressed together. They stay like that for a while, enjoying the happiness and the tranquillity of the moment, until Riko slowly parts enough to look at You's now opened eyes.

"You-chan… there's something I have to tell you." Riko says, gently caressing You's collarbone and neck.

"I'm listening." You answers, tenderly smiling. Her eyes are telling Riko that, whatever she's going to say, it's all ok, that she'll trust her and that she'll be on her side. The angel lets out a long breath before speaking, making all her worries disappear, ready to finally be honest with herself and the person she loves the most.

"You know… In this whole life of an angel, I've always lived only following the Sky's rules, believing that God's word was right and absolute and that I had the only duty to make humans follow it. I thought it was the right thing to do, in oder to make everyone happy."

You intensely listens to her.

"Being to focused on my role, I've neglected myself though. I've forgotten what actually makes me an angel, what I really want and what this world needs the most: love."

She pauses.

"But then I met you. You showed me a new view of life and freed me from the chains I've been imposing on myself. You made me feel loved for what I really am and not for what I am supposed to be."

Small tears form at the corner of her eyes, as she cups You's cheeks and smiles.

"I've fallen in love with you, You-chan. You've become my everything."

She says, while approaching her face to You's.

"And if being worth of Heaven means a life without you…" She adds, closing her eyes, "…then I don't want these wings anymore."

She then places her lips on You's and tenderly kisses her. As the silver haired girl returns the kiss with passion, the angel's arms cicle her neck again and pull You down with her, making the two of them falling on the cloud that has been under them, never breaking the kiss, which, instead, deepens once Riko's back and wings gently hit the soft surface. Soon, their arms and hands join, running through their bodies, caressing and touching each other as if they were the most fragile things in the world, but eagerly wanting to convey only affection and love.

You wishes the moment lasts forever. She can clearly sense Riko's and her feelings blending together and growing stronger each passing second. The sensation is blissful, addicting: it's like they're becoming one and it feels so good that You thinks that she's going to melt.

Suddenly, she feels her whole body being filled by a new, uknown, yet delightful kind of energy, whose intensity gradually encreases as their contact goes on deepening and, the moment it reaches its peak, the angel's wings fully extend with a jerk and surround their bodies together, before disappearing from Riko's back and reappearing under the form of a lilac light on You's.

The angel then genlty breaks the kiss and smiles.

"I love you." she says as You suddenly feels herself slowly being pulled away by her flickering wings. But, although Riko is smiling, something in You's heart is telling her that there is something wrong and she can't help but feeling scared of loosing her. Tears start running down her cheeks as she repeatedly shouts Riko's name, struggling to stop her wings from parting her from the angel, but in vain. All she can do is staring at Riko's figure becoming more distant and glowing while being fully illuminated by the whole light of that sky, just like an angel laying in the sun, before turning into golden dust and disappearing.

* * *

"RIKO-CHAN!" You shouts, while suddenly waking up, parting from the wall she was laid on, and extending her arm in front of her, as if trying to reach something.

"I'm… here…"

A faint, but sweet voice makes her quickly turn her head left: she finds Riko kneeling near her, visibly weak, heavy panting, her clothes half destroyed, trying to hide a painful expression behind a smile. You manages to catch her in time, making her fall down directly into her arms.

She isn't given enough time to think, that she's already sensing something viscous on her hands.

She quickly looks down at them and sees blood, which she immediately finds out coming from deep wounds on Riko's bare back, right on her shoulder blades, clearly testifying that something has been forcedly ripped from there. It takes You less than a second to realize what happened.

She starts crying, holding Riko closer, while repeatedly saying "I love you" between her loud sobs as a light rain starts falling from the light grey clouds in the sky crossed by a colorful rainbow, under the shy sun.

"Welcome back, You-chan." Riko whispers, before letting the tiredness and the pain overcome her senses and falling asleep between You's safe arms.

* * *

 **Notes:**

1) Since I got inspired also by Aqours' angel set, after transforming before the fight with Yoshiko, Riko's appearance is the same as in her idolized UR card.

2) Yoshiko here is a demon and she's the one who has hit You to death, but she's not actually evil. She has a background story, but I didn't write anything about it because I wanted the fic to focus only on You and Riko, so please don't hate or blame her (hate me instead lol). I also didn't mention what happened to her before and after the fight for the same reason, but I might write other fics about all these things later, since I got many ideas for this AU while writing. Who knows!


End file.
